Automatic clutch



(No Model.)

C. M. DODGE. AUTOMATIC CLUTCH.

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QZ? l @Homey UNTTED STATES PATENT EErcE.

CLARENCE M. DODGE, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.v

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,574, dated February 23, 1897.

Application filed August 2l, 1896. Serial No. 603,457. (No model.)

T0 oZZZ' whom, it may concern: p

Be it known that I, CLARENCE M. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester,in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Clutches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to connections between alternating current motors and the mechanism they are intended to drive.

In some instances with this class of motor it is diflicult to start with a load, and whether or not this difficulty arises in using this class of motor to operate music-boxes or automatic pianos it is evident that the proper tempo or uniformity of tempo of a given piece would loe greatly interfered with, as the 'music starts oif slower than it should.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the motor is connected or disconnected from its load automatically in a manner dependent upon its speed, which in the case of automatic musical instruments insures the proper tempo.

The invention will be fully set forth in the following specification and claims, and clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same, of which- Figure l is a broken elevation showing a portion of an alternating-current motor and a portion of the operating mechanism of an automatic piano, or one in which the action is operated by electricity, and my improved mechanism applied thereto. Eig. 2 is a detailed enlarged view representing one end o'f a sleeve which I attach to the journal of an alternating-current motor and upon which is carried a pivoted dog. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the sleeve and dog, showing also in dotted lines a grooved pulley mounted on the sleeve. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the grooved pulley, Fig. 5 being a cross-section of the same.

Similar reference -letters designate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

A is a portion of an iron frame, which is attached to a piano `and carries a roll B and the i required automatic action C for operating the regular piano-action. The journal of the roll B carries a flanged pulley D and a larger wide-face pulley E. The pulley D has a belt CZ, extending upward, for driving the so-called music-rolls,7 and the pulley E is connected by an elastic belt c with the cone-pulleyF, which isv mounted below it upon a counter-shaft G, said shaft being supported in bearings h, rising from a base H, and carrying also a grooved pulley I, connected by a belt o' with a smaller grooved pulley J, which forms one of the essential features of my invention, as will be explained.

The pulley J is designed to. transmit the power from the motor to whatever mechanism is to be driven by it and in order to fullil the purpose of my invention. This pulleyis mounted in some convenient manner loosely upon the arbor of the motor and adapted to move in unison therewith when the motor shall have acquired a given speed and to become loose again with lreduced speed, the clutching of the pulley being accomplished automatically.

One means of carrying my ideasinto effect is illustrated in the drawings, the pulley J being formed with an annular groove j in one side, which groove is provided in its outer -edge with an inwardly-projecting pin or lug j', the pulley being loosely mounted on a sleeve K, rigidly secured to the arborI T of an alternating-current electric motor. Said sleeve has on its outer end an annular flange 7c, to the inner side of which ispivotally connected an arm L, which is curved to correspond with the curve of said sleeve K, and the arm L has near its pivoted end a lateral projection Z. The rotative course of the arbor T of the motor being in the direction of the arrow seen in Fig. 2, the arm L throws out by the motion of said arbor the projection Z, resting within the annular groove .7' of the pulley J. When the arm L is thus thrown outward, its projection Z engages the projection or pin j' and causes the said pulley to revolve with said sleeve K.

In order to prevent the rotation of said pulley except when a given speed has been attained by the motor, a suitable spring M is secured to the flange of said sleeve in a man- IOO ner to exert the proper force upon said arm L to hold it normally against the sleeve K, as seen in Fig. 2.

The elastic belt e, connecting the pulleys E F, is arranged to shift longitudinally by a suitable shifter N, which is pivoted to the base-plate II at n for the purpose of changing the tempo of the music being performed by an instrument, a spring O, connecting said` shifter N withv a standard h', formed upon said plate H, causing the shifter to hold said elastic belt e normally at the small end of the cone-pulley F, and a cord or wire P, also connected to the shifter, being drawn by any suitable mechanism serving to move the same in the opposite direction when it is desired to increase the tempo.

Having described my invention, what I;

claim is- 1. An automatic clutch consisting of, a pulley having an annular groove `in one side said pul'leybeing provided With an inwardly-projecting lug or pin, a sleeve rigidly attached to a power shaft or arbor having an annular i arbor, and a loose pulley provided in one side with an annular groove having an inwardlyprojecting lug adaptedto normally clear the lateral projection of said pivoted arm and to engage the same when the power shaft or arbor has attained the desired speed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1 in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE M. DODGE.

Witnesses:

J. B. THURsToN, JOHN H. ANDREWs. 

